3MPower (Mobile Learning for Empowerment of Marginalised Mathematics Educators)

Funded by The EdTech Hub, 3MPower will work in partnership between The Open University, the Government of Bangladesh, the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University and teachers in rural communities.

Worldwide, many children reach the end of primary education without being confident in foundation numeracy skills. Children from lower-income households and marginalised communities, particularly girls and those in rural communities and ethnic and linguistic minorities, are most affected. Weak foundation skills hinder future learning and children often fall further behind each year.

The use of e-learning solutions for teacher development has gained traction in recent years. However, little research has been done into how these solutions are working on the ground for teachers and learners in marginalised communities, or into the impact they are having on teaching quality and learning outcomes. 

3MPower aims to address this by asking:

• How are primary teachers from rural schools in Bangladesh using mobile learning for their professional development?
• In what ways is this changing the learning and teaching of foundation skills in numeracy?

3MPower will focus on the use of professional development courses, made available to users at low-cost or no-cost, on a government-led Bangla-language e-learning platform. A first round of studies will explore the processes of teacher development—teachers’ access to mobile learning, the relevance of the content to teachers’ needs, how school communities support changes in teaching, and the cost-effectiveness of these approaches. These will include peer-research by rural teachers, examining such issues with other teachers in their area. A second round of research will evaluate the outcomes of the professional development programme on  teaching practices and student learning outcomes in numeracy, using quantitative experimental methods.

Evidence and insights gathered from this research will enable policymakers and practitioners to improve the effectiveness of mobile learning for teacher professional development in foundation skills, in Bangladesh and worldwide.